Reel clutch of a tape recorder

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a reel clutch of a tape recorder. A plate spring is positioned between a reel gear and a reel disc of a reel disc assembly which is mounted on a deck of a tape recorder, and a stopper reel is provided on the reel disc to restrain the engaging height of the plate spring so that a torque is generated by the frictional contact between the reel disc and the plate spring, whereby assembly productivity can be enhanced and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/670,418 to Bong-Joo Kim et al., filed on Sep. 26, 2003 nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,048,219 issued on May 23, 2006, the subject matter ofwhich is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FOREIGN PRIORITY INFORMATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to a KoreanPatent Application, Serial No. 2002-61821, filed in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office on Oct. 10, 2002, to Korean PatentApplication Serial No. 2002-68836, filed in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office on Nov. 7, 2002, to Korean Patent Application Serial No.2002-71728, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Nov. 18,2002, and to Korean Patent Application Serial No. 2003-3426, filed inthe Korean Intellectual Property Office on Jan. 17, 2003, the contentsof all four said applications being incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a magnetic recording/reproducingapparatus, and more particularly, to a reel apparatus for driving a tapecassette of a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

Generally, a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus recordsinformation on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, and alsoreproduces the recorded information from the recording medium. Examplesof such magnetic recording/reproducing apparatuses mainly include videotape cassette recorders (VCR) and camcorders.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional magnetic recording/reproducingapparatus includes a main deck 2 on which a head drum 1 is rotatablymounted; a sub deck 3, which can be loaded/unloaded with respect to themain deck 2; a pair of reel assemblies 4, which are rotatable withrespect to the sub deck 3 and drive the tape reel of the tape cassette;a reel assembly driving apparatus 7, which receives the driving forcefrom a capstan motor 5 at the main deck 1 and selectively transmits thereceived driving force to the pair of reel assemblies 4; and a drivingforce transmitting unit 6, which transmits the driving force from thecapstan motor 5 to the reel assembly driving apparatus 7.

The reel assemblies 4 include a supply part reel table (left-hand sideof FIG. 1) to supply magnetic tape from the tape cassette, and a take-uppart reel table (right-hand side of FIG. 1) to wind the magnetic tape asfed.

The driving force transmitting unit 6 includes a capstan gear 6 a,driven in association with an axis gear 5 a of the capstan motor 5, anda timing belt 6 b, to transmit the driving force from the capstan gear61 a to the reel assembly driving apparatus 7.

The reel assembly driving apparatus 7 includes a pulley gear unit 7 a,which is connected with a timing belt 6 b, an idle gear 7 b driven inassociation with the pulley gear unit 7 a, and a pivoting plate 7 cconnecting the pulley gear unit 7 a to the idle gear 7 b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pivoting plate 7 c may have an elastic part 7 dwhich is cut in a predetermined pattern in the central portion of thepivoting plate 7 c so as to function as a plate spring. Because theelastic part 7 d is contacted with the idle gear 7 b with apredetermined frictional force, when the idle gear 7 b shifts thedirection of its rotation, the pivoting plate 7 c is subjected to atorque which causes the pivoting plate 7 c to pivot. Accordingly, theidle gear 7 b can be selectively connected to the left and right reelassemblies 4.

In the above-described construction, a part of rotational force of thepulley gear 11 is transmitted to a clutch gear 13 by the magnetic forcegenerated between a magnet 12 and a metal piece 14. Since the rotationalforce can be reduced as the force is transmitted via the idle gear 7 bto the destined reel assembly 4, the tape reel of the tape cassette canbe rotated with the correct force.

However, in the conventional magnetic recording/reproducing apparatusconstructed as above, because some components are required to provide apredetermined frictional force to the idle gear 7 b to pivot thepivoting plate 7 c, the overall construction becomes complicated.Further, as additional components are also required to control thetorque to the tape cassette reel, the construction of the magneticrecording/reproducing apparatus becomes still more complicated. Also,because the price of the magnet employed in the conventional magneticrecording/reproducing apparatus is usually high, the manufacturing costsincrease.

Alternatively, a frictional force generator, i.e., a torque generator asprovided to the pulley gear unit 7 a, can also be provided to the pairof reel assemblies 4 as a substitute. However, the problem is that thissubstitute also requires expensive components of rather complicatedstructure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an aspect of an embodiment of the present inventionto provide a reel assembly driving apparatus and a reel assembly of amagnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, which is improved to have asimple construction.

In order to achieve the above aspect, the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention provides a reel clutch of a tape recorder, which isinstalled in a reel disc assembly mounted on a deck of a tape recorderand having a reel gear and a reel disc, for generating a torque toadjust the tension of a magnetic tape, thereby controlling the runningspeed of the magnetic tape, the reel clutch comprises a plate springpositioned between the reel gear and the reel disc; and a stopper reelengaged with the reel disc to restrain the engaging height of the platespring, so that the reel disc and the plate spring come into contactwith each other to generate a torque by friction.

In the reel clutch having the above-described construction according toan embodiment of the present invention, the bottom surface of the reeldisc is preferably provided with serrations which are formed to becapable of coming into frictional contact with the plate spring.

In addition, it is preferable that the plate spring comprises a platebody which is formed with one or more slits in a predetermined pattern,so that the plate spring is elastically freely movable by an externalpressure.

Furthermore, it is preferable that a lubricant is interposed between thereel disc and the plate spring.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptiontaken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating a conventional magneticrecording/reproducing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the reel assembly drivingapparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating an assembly of a magneticrecording/reproducing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment ofthe present invention before assembling;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the assembly of the magneticrecording/reproducing apparatus according to the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention after assembling;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an upper reel of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view illustrating a reel assembly according toanother preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the reel gear of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view illustrating a reel assembly drivingapparatus of a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus according to yetanother preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A reel assembly and a reel assembly driving apparatus of the magneticrecording/reproducing apparatus according to an embodiment of thepresent invention will now be described in greater detail with referenceto the accompanying drawings and the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the reel assembly of the magneticrecording/reproducing apparatus according to one preferred embodiment ofthe present invention includes a lower reel 31 rotatable with respect toa stationed axis 2 a at the main deck 2, an upper reel 33 (or reel disc)joined with the upper portion of the lower reel 31 (or stopper reel),and a clutch member 37 disposed between the lower and upper reels 31,33.

The lower reel 31 has an axis portion 31 b protruding from the center ofa circular body 31 a to a predetermined height. The stationed axis 2 ais fit with respect to the axis portion 31 b. Around the lower portionof the axis portion 31 b and on the upper surface of the circular body31 a is formed a protruding part 31 c formed with a predeterminedheight. There is formed an axis hole 33 a in the lower surface of theupper reel 33 so that the axis portion 31 b is inserted in the axis hole33 a of the upper reel 33 to a predetermined depth. The axis portion 31b is force-fit in the axis hole 33 a so as to cause a frictional forcewith the axis hole 33 a. Accordingly, the upper and lower reels 31, 33are rotated altogether.

The upper portion of the upper reel 33 is protruded in a predeterminedshape so that the tape reel of the tape cassette is securely seatedthereon. Around the lower surface of the upper reel 33, there is formedan annular rib 33 b which is protruded to elastically urge the outer rimof the clutch member 37 downward. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, a serrationis formed on the surface of the rib 33 b with a predetermined roughness.The serration is formed along the surface of the rib 33 b in an annularfashion.

The reel gear 35 is disposed between the upper and lower reels 31, 33.The reel gear 35 has an annular shape, and is provided with gear teeth35 a formed along the outer circumference. The gear teeth 35 a areselectively connected to the idle gear 7 b (FIG. 1) of the drivingapparatus which is driven by the driving force from the capstan motor 5to receive the driving force. The clutch member 37 is fit in the reelgear 35, and in order to secure the clutch member 37 in position, thereare locking protrusions 35 b formed along the inner circumference of thereel gear 35. The locking protrusions 35 b are elongated in thedirection along which the clutch member 37 is fit into the reel gear 35,and also provided at regular intervals. The reel gear 35 is connected tothe upper and lower reels 31, 33 by the intervention of the clutchmember 37. In other words, the reel gear 35 is connected such that thereel gear 35 is not directly contacted with the upper and lower reels31, 33.

The clutch member 37 functions to reduce the rotational force of thereel gear 35 and transmit the reduced rotational force to the upper andlower reels 31, 33. It is preferable that the clutch member 37 is aplate spring. There is an axis hole 37 a into which the axis portion 31b is inserted. The clutch member 37 also has slits 37 b which are cut ina predetermined fashion to enable the clutch member 37 to elasticallymove in the vertical direction freely by the external force. The clutchmember 37 also has a plurality of locking holes 37 c formed in the outercircumference to correspond to the locking protrusions 35 b. The clutchmember 37 also has a plurality of fitting holes 37 d to fit with hooks35 c of the reel gear 35. The clutch member 37 supported on the reelgear 35 is contacted with, and thus supported by, the upper and lowerreels 31, 33, respectively.

The center of the clutch member 37 is contacted with the protruding part31 c of the lower reel 31 and thus elastically urged upward. The outerrim of the clutch member 37 is elastically urged downward by the contactwith the rib 33 b of the upper reel 33. Due to the contact between theclutch member 37 and the upper and lower reels 31, 33, the rotationalforce of the reel gear 35 is transmitted to the upper and lower reels31, 33. Here, the rotational force is not entirely transmitted to theupper and lower reels 31, 33, but transmitted in a reduced degree inaccordance with the degree of frictional force which is caused by theclutch member 37.

Preferably, a lubricant (not shown) is applied between the upper reel 33and the clutch member 37. More preferably, the lubricant (not shown) isapplied to the lower surface of the upper reel 33 and the upper surfaceof the clutch member 37 at the point where the annular ribs 33 b contactthe outer rim of the clutch member 37.

In the reel assembly of the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatusconstructed as above according to the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the elastic clutch member 37 is firmly secured to thereel gear 35 and does not sway or move. Further, because the clutchmember 37 is positioned at an accurate height by the support of theupper and lower reels 31, 33, the resiliency of the clutch member 37seldom varies, and therefore, the frictional force with the neighboringcomponents can be maintained substantially constant. As a result, thedriving force from the reel gear 35 to the upper and lower reels 31, 33can be maintained to a substantially constant degree. Additionally,because the reel assembly has a simple structure and does not require anexpensive magnet, manufacturing costs can be reduced.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a reel assembly of a magneticrecording/reproducing apparatus according to a second preferredembodiment of the present invention will be described. Throughout thedescription, like elements will be given the same reference numerals ofFIGS. 3 to 5.

Shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, there is a sensor, i.e., a lightreceiving/emitting sensor 40, to sense the rotational status of the reelgear 135 with respect to the sub deck 3. As described above, the reelgear 135 has gear teeth 125 a which are engaged with the idle gear 7 b(FIG. 1) of the reel assembly driving apparatus. The driving force,which is transmitted to the reel gear 135 via the idle gear 7 b,generates a torque with the intervention of the clutch member 37 so asto cause the upper reel 33 to rotate at a predetermined speed.

Meanwhile, the reel gear 135 has a plurality of sensing holes 135 cformed in the direction of rotation. The sensing holes 135 c are piercedso that the light from the light receiving/emitting sensor 40 can passtherethrough. As shown in FIG. 7, the sensing holes 135 c are formed atequal intervals in the direction of rotation of the reel gear 135.

In the above-mentioned construction, the light receiving/emitting sensor40 emits a light toward the reel gear 135, and also receives the lightreflected from the reel gear 135 so as to sense the rotational statusand the speed of the reel gear 135. Because the light is reflected fromthe reel gear 135 except where the sensing holes 135 c occur, the lightreceiving/emitting sensor 40 can determine the rotational status of thereel gear 135 through repetitive reception and non-reception of thelight reflected from the reel gear 135. When the reel gear 135 is notrotated, the light receiving/emitting sensor 40 may successively receivethe light or may not receive the light at all, thus recognizing that thereel gear 135 is not rotating. The reel gear 135 is preferably made ofwhite material which can reflect the light effectively, although othercolors can also be adequately used.

With the reel assembly described as above, the reel assembly can beconstructed without requiring additional components, by simply attachinga reflective film to some parts of the reel gear 135 to reflect thelight, or by forming the sensing holes 135 c instead of attachingadditional light absorbent material.

Referring to FIG. 8, the reel assembly driving apparatus according to athird preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described.As shown in FIG. 8, the reel assembly driving apparatus includes a maingear 50 which is rotatable with respect to the main deck 2, a rotatinglever 60 which is rotatable with respect to the upper portion of themain gear 50, an idle gear 70 engaged with the main gear 50, a clutchgear 80 arranged coaxially with the idle gear 70, a rotating body 90rotatably supported on the rotating lever 60, and an elastic clutchmember 100.

The main gear 50 is rotatably supported on the stationed axis 2 a of themain deck 2 so as to be rotated by the driving force transmitted fromthe capstan motor 5 (FIG. 1). A pulley part 53, being connected with thetiming belt 6 b, is provided to the lower end of the main gear 50. Gearpart 55 is engaged with the idle gear 70 to the upper portion of thepulley part 53. There is a clamper 57 at the upper portion of the axis 2a to prevent the main gear 50 from separating from the axis 2 a.

One end of the rotating lever 60 is supported by the damper 57, whilethere is a fixed axis 61 formed at the other end of the rotating lever60. The fixed axis 61 is provided at the lower portion of the rotatinglever 60. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating lever 60 is rotated toselectively connect to the pair of reel assemblies 4. The rotating forceof the rotating lever 60 is transmitted from the main gear 50 to theidle gear 70, the clutch member 100 and the rotating body 90,respectively. When there is a frictional force between the rotating body90 and the rotating lever 60, the rotating torque is generated at therotating lever 60 to cause the rotating lever 60 to rotate.

The idle gear 70 has a gear part 71 which is engaged with the main gear50. The idle gear 70 is rotatably engaged with the outer circumferenceof the rotating body 90. The idle gear 70 has an upper flange 73 whichexclusively presses the outer rim of the clutch member 100 by thecontact while being secured in a movement restriction protrusion 91formed on the lower end of the rotating body 90. Due to the frictionbetween the upper flange 73 and the contacting area of the clutch member100, a torque is generated, and the clutch gear 80 is rotated by thegenerated torque.

The clutch gear 80 is engaged to one of the pair of reel assemblies 4 totransmit the driving force. The clutch gear 80 is secured to the outerside of the clutch member 100.

The rotating body 90 is rotatable with respect to the fixed axis 61, andis supported such that the rotating body 90 can be moved vertically. Therotating body 90 also has a locking groove 93 into which the clutchmember 100 is securely fit in with the inner circle. The rotating body90 is subjected to a force in the ‘A’ direction due to the elasticrecovery force of the clutch member 100, and thus, urged to maintain acontact with the rotating lever 60 at an upper part with a predeterminedfriction. The rotating body 90 is integrally rotated with the clutchmember 100.

Clutch member 100 is provided to adjust the rotational speed of the reelassemblies 4 by preventing direct transmission of the driving force fromthe main gear 50 to the reel assemblies 4 without any adjustments. Theclutch member 100 functions to reduce the driving force from the maingear 50 before transmitting it to the reel assemblies. It is preferablethat the clutch member 100 is a plate spring which is deformable andrecoverable. The clutch member 100 is secured at its outer part to theclutch gear 80. More preferably, the outer part of the clutch member 100is integrally secured to a groove in the inner circumference of theclutch gear 80 by an insert molding. The center of the clutch member 100is securely locked in the locking groove 93 of the rotating body 90. Asthe clutch member 100 is pressed toward the idle gear 73, the rim of theclutch member 100 is subjected to the elastic recovery force in the ‘B’direction, while the center of the clutch member 100 is subjected to theelastic recovery force in the ‘A’ direction. As a result, at the contactarea between the clutch member 100 and the idle gear 70, a ‘clutchingeffect’ can be obtained. In other words, the driving force isdecreasingly adjusted before being transmitted. Further, due to theelastic recovery force in the ‘A’ direction, the rotating body 90 andthe rotating lever 60 are integrally rotated with respect to the maingear 50.

In the reel assembly driving apparatus according to the presentinvention as described above, a single clutch member 100, i.e., a singleplate spring, not only serves as a clutch to adjust the driving forcewhich is transmitted from the main gear 50 to the reel assemblies 4, butalso serves as a torque generator which enables the rotating lever 60 toshift the rotating direction. Accordingly, expensive component such as amagnet can be omitted, and two torques can be obtained in the same area.As a result, as the number of necessary parts decreases, and theassembling process is simplified, manufacturing costs can be greatlyreduced.

While a few preferred embodiments of the present invention has beenshown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof,the present invention is not limited to those embodiments. It will beunderstood by those skilled in the art that various modifications andchanges in form and details may be made therein without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A reel clutch of a tape recorder, which is installed in a reelassembly driving apparatus, mounted on a deck of a tape recorder andhaving an idle gear and clutching gear, for generating a torque to drivemagnetic tape, wherein the reel clutch comprises: a plate springpositioned between the clutching gear and the idle gear, the platespring having an outer part fixedly secured to a groove in an innercircumference of the clutching gear; and a rotating body engaged withthe idle gear to restrain the engaging height of the plate spring, sothat the idle gear and the plate spring come into contact with eachother to generate a torque by friction.
 2. A reel clutch according toclaim 1, wherein the rotating body has a locking groove for receiving acenter of the plate spring.
 3. A reel clutch according to claim 2,wherein the plate spring is securely locked in the locking groove of therotating body.
 4. A reel clutch according to claim 3, wherein the platespring has an outer rim and the outer rim presses an upper flange of theidle gear.
 5. A reel clutch according to claim 1, wherein the platespring is fixedly secured to the groove in the inner circumference ofthe clutching gear by an insert molding.
 6. A reel clutch according toclaim 1, wherein the plate spring comprises a plate body which is formedwith one or more slits in a predetermined pattern so that the platespring is freely elastically movable by an external pressure.
 7. A reelclutch according to claim 1, wherein the reel assembly driving apparatuscomprises: a main gear rotatably supported on a stationary axis of thedeck of the tape recorder, the main gear rotatably engaging the idlegear; a rotating lever, the rotating lever having one end rotatablysupported by the stationary axis, the rotating lever having a fixed axisprovided on the other end of the rotating lever for rotatably supportingthe rotating body so that a frictional force between the rotating bodyand the rotating lever generates a rotating torque to cause the rotatinglever to rotate.
 8. A reel assembly driving apparatus according to claim7, wherein the clutch member has one or more slits in a predeterminedpattern disposed between the center of the clutch member and the rim ofthe clutch member so that the clutch member is freely elasticallymovable by an external pressure.
 9. A reel assembly driving apparatusaccording to claim 7, further comprising a damper at the upper portionof the stationary axis to prevent the main gear from separating from theaxis, the damper supporting the one end of the rotating lever.
 10. Areel clutch for a reel assembly driving apparatus in a tape recorder,the reel assembly being mounted on a deck of a tape recorder and havingan idle gear and clutching gear for generating a torque to drivemagnetic tape, wherein the reel clutch comprises: a clutch memberpositioned between the clutching gear and the idle gear, the clutchmember being fixedly secured to a groove in an inner circumference ofthe clutching gear; and a rotating body engaged with the idle gear torestrain the engaging height of the clutch member so that the idle gearand the clutch member come into contact with each other to generate atorque by friction.
 11. A reel clutch according to claim 10, wherein theclutch member is a plate spring.
 12. A reel clutch according to claim10, wherein the rotating body has a locking groove for receiving theclutch member.
 13. A reel clutch according to claim 10, wherein theclutch member is fixedly secured to the groove in the innercircumference of the clutching gear by an insert molding.
 14. A reelclutch according to claim 10, wherein the clutch member comprises aplate body which is formed with one or more slits in a predeterminedpattern so that the plate spring is freely elastically movable by anexternal pressure.
 15. A reel clutch according to claim 10, wherein theclutch member is securely locked in the locking groove of the rotatingbody.
 16. A reel clutch according to claim 15, wherein the clutch memberhas an outer rim and the outer rim presses an upper flange of the idlegear.
 17. A reel clutch according to claim 10, wherein the reel assemblydriving apparatus comprises: a main gear rotatably supported on astationary axis of the deck of the tape recorder, the main gearrotatably engaging the idle gear; a rotating lever, the rotating leverhaving one end rotatably supported by the stationary axis, the rotatinglever having a fixed axis provided on the other end of the rotatinglever for rotatably supporting the rotating body so that a frictionalforce between the rotating body and the rotating lever generates arotating torque to cause the rotating lever to rotate.
 18. A reel clutchof a tape recorder, comprising: an idle gear with an upper flange; aclutch gear having an inner circumference with a groove; a rotating bodyengaged with the idle gear, the rotating body having a locking groove;and a clutch member having an outer part, a center, and a rim, the outerpart of the clutch member being fixedly secured to the groove in theinner circumference of the clutch gear, the center of the clutch memberbeing securely locked in the locking groove of the rotating body, andthe rim of the clutch member pressing the upper flange of the idle gear,wherein the clutch member generates a torque by the contact between therim of the clutch member and the upper flange of the idle gear.
 19. Areel clutch according to claim 18, wherein the clutch member is a platespring which is deformable and recoverable.
 20. A reel clutch accordingto claim 19, wherein the clutch member has one or more slits in apredetermined pattern disposed between the center of the clutch memberand the rim of the clutch member so that the clutch member is freelyelastically movable by an external pressure.
 21. A reel assembly drivingapparatus, comprising: a main gear rotatably supported on a stationaryaxis; a rotating lever, the rotating lever having one end rotatablysupported by the stationary axis, the rotating lever having a fixed axisprovided on the other end of the rotating lever; a rotating bodyrotatably supported on the fixed axis on the rotating lever, therotating body having a locking groove; an idle gear engaged with themain gear, the idle gear being rotatably engaged with the outercircumference of the rotating body, the idle gear having an upperflange; a clutching gear arranged coaxially with respect to the idlegear, the clutching gear having an inner circumference with a groove; anelastic clutch member having a center, an outer part, and a rim disposedbetween the center and the outer part, the center being securely lockedin the locking groove of the rotating body, the outer part being fixedlysecured to the groove in the inner circumference of the clutching gear,the rim pressing the upper flange of the idle gear, wherein a frictionalforce between the rotating body and the rotating lever generates arotating torque to cause the rotating lever to rotate.